THE REBIRTH OF A GENRE: A Review Of THROWBACK

 

Growing up, as far back as I can remember I’ve been obsessed with Horror and Sci-fi films. I talk about these two genres (especially as of late) on this site more then any other genre, but that doesn’t mean I don’t talk about other genres (One of my biggest pet peeves is when people refer to us as a “horror review site.”) We’ve had the pleasure o reviewing  everything from Christian film to plot porn to musicals and everything in between. We’ve literally covered every genre you can think of (And likely quite a few you can’t!) but there was one genre that somehow slipped though the cracks. It’s a genre that, to be honest, I almost completely forgot about even though it brought me so much joy growing up. That genre is the Jungle Survival movie. You know what I mean, Those movies where adventurers or treasure hunters or even tourists head of to some mysterious, dangerous location to look for something or someone only to find themselves up against a crazed animal or a cannibal tribe or (The Best kind of all) a legendary monster. I hadn’t realized it but this  genre has all but died out. I have no idea why. Maybe it’s because kids these days are too caught up in technology to give a rats ass if there’s gold in them there caves. Maybe because it’s a faux pas now because so many jungles and forests are being wiped out. Whatever the reason it’s damn sad and apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so because writer/director Travis Bain decided to try his hand at resurrecting this once heavily populated endangered Genre with his new film Throwback!

THROWBACK introduces Jack and Kent, two exterminators who discover a very valuable clue as to the whereabouts of legendary outlaw Thunderclap Newman’s  long lost gold. They head out to the jungles of Australia to locate the ill gotten booty but they aren’t alone and they’re about to find out that the mythological  Yowie (The Australian Bigfoot) is anything but a myth! They’ll be lucky to get out alive, let alone with any gold!

Atmospheric, Lingering and genuinely exciting,Throwback not only manages to be a great Jungle Survival film but also joins the very minuscule pantheon of excellent Bigfoot films! It manages to capture the feel and ambiance that are the meat and potatoes of both genres in the prime of their respective times without ever feeling derivative cheap and hoaky, all things that  alot of films who attempt to recreate forgotten genres tend to fall victim to. This feels less like an homage and more like just a film from a director whom never got the memo that the 60’s and 70’s ended!

The acting here was absolutely flawless. All three main roles (I omitted one from my synopsis to avoid spoilers) were performed with the finesse and skill of seasoned actors despite the fact that they were all reasonably fresh faced. In fact in the case of the fella that plays Jack, this was his first film!

Jack stuck out as my favorite of the bunch, making the transition from every man Joe Schmo to reluctant hero and survivalist completely believable. We can literally SEE this change in his eyes and body language. He’s not the braggart, loud mouthed hero we’ve been bombarded with in popular Hollywood hogwash for the last 20 plus years, instead he’s visibly frightened. His bravado is born of necessity and a will to live which makes him all the more relatable. He isn’t superman,he’s you and me and this little detail shows real brilliance on the part of Travis Bain as well as the actor.

The effects here were also marvelous. All of them were practical with no CG to weigh things down or take us out of the element. There’s very little gore which makes the few bits we do see here and there all the more effective and the director was smart enough to use the bomb under the table approach with the Yowie mostly in shadows or off screen. This made things seem much more real and dangerous.

I’d be remiss not to talk about the creature’s movements and actions. This fucker is no mouth breathing gorilla, no here we have a fast moving, intelligent being capable of thought out ambushing, echo manipulation and even use of weapons. It’s just as smart as a man and twice as strong and agile, making it one of the most effective creatures I’ve ever seen portrayed in film.

The cinematography here threw me for a loop. I’m guessing  that due to the tiny budget it was shot digitally but I’ll be goddamned if it doesn’t look like legitimate 35mm film. I don’t mean it has fake grain and cigarette burns or any o the other cheap lame parlor tricks so popular these days. I  mean it has that crisp, realer then real life look that you typically only get with film. I mean you can see the fucking veins on the leaves and the hairs on the actors’ arms for fucksake! It claims to be shot in “yellowscope” but I’m pretty sure that’s a made up term in the tradition of classic cinema that used to make shit like that up yo attract audiences looking for something new and exciting. Either way this thing is gorgeous!

The last thing I wanted to talk about is the music. Created by Richard Brand and Amotz Plessner, this thing has an honest to God score. Saturated by heavy drums, strings and extended silences, this was the deal sealer for me, taking a good film to great status with ease.

Taking on a project of this scope with such a minuscule budget and skeleton crew was one hell of a risk. Thankfully it really paid off with this little gem. I give it two middle fingers chopped off and sanded to the bone. YOU NEED

 TO OWN THIS FILM!